BATON ROUGE – Mississippi State used shock and awe in addition to brute force to pummel LSU's defense to the tune of 570 yards in a 34-29 victory on Saturday.

"Yeah, there were a couple of formations when I saw it, it was kind of weird seeing what was going on," said LSU sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture, a first-year starter. "There were some formations that we hadn't seen."

These were some of the Bulldogs' spread alignments that opened up the middle of the field for quarterback Dak Prescott, who gained 105 yards rushing on 22 carries with a 74-yard touchdown, and for tailback Josh Robinson, who gained 197 on 16 carries with a 66-yard jaunt.

"Some of the formations that spread us out, we just had to adapt to that," LaCouture said. "As the game wore on, we got to do that. We made it to a single-digit ballgame, and it ended on a Hail Mary. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win, but we were fighting and clawing."

The 570 total yards, including 302 on the ground, were the most yards against LSU since Florida under coach Steve Spurrier amassed 632 yards in a 44-15 win in Tiger Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001. LSU did hold Mississippi State to 50 yards and three points in the fourth quarter while it scored 19.

"We came out slow and then picked it up late," safety Jalen Mills said. "We have to start faster. We had miscues. We are better than that. There were plays we could have played better."

"We need to come back, practice hard and fight," cornerback Dwayne Thomas said. "They came out with a high tempo. Everyone needs to stick to their role and

The key to playing spread attacks, which No. 5 Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC) will use when it hosts LSU on Oct. 4, is manning your position, LaCouture said.

"You've got to stay in your gap as a defensive lineman," he said. "You've got to control your responsibility. When some teams spread us out, we'll just adapt to it like we did later in the game. You've got to play your assignments. If you don't, Dak, or any quarterback, is going to take advantage of it."

LSU's defense also suffered from miscommunications as it did in a 44-41 loss at Georgia last season when those Bulldogs put up 494 yards.

"It was just little things during the game here and there," LaCouture said. "We just have to communicate better. We'll communicate better. Just a couple of things that we need to improve on there, but we're busting our tails. That's something we know for a fact. It's not a lack of effort."

LSU's defense has fallen to No. 73 in the nation and No. 12 in the SEC against the run with 159 yards allowed a game.

"To me, there were some times there where a call didn't get on the field that should have been on the field," LSU coach Les Miles said. "A linebacker out of position, a missed coverage based on a quarterback scramble that led to big plays. And there were things in my mind that were technique, not necessarily that they were even a missed assignment. It's just that you were in the wrong spot based on the fact that your technique wasn't right. Our coaching staff and players are in it together, and we'll make that adjustment."